Chapter 8 - The Underworld
""He compromised the master security panel,"" Luca swore under his breath. Without hesitating, he grabbed Elena by the elbow, pulling her to her feet despite her whimper of pain. ""Run! If that bulkhead seals, we are trapped in the ventilation grid!""
Dr. Aris was already sprinting down the descending concrete steps, her flashlight beam cutting through cobwebs and damp underground air. Elena pushed her body past every physical limit, the burning ache in her stitches forgotten beneath the sheer, primal drive to save her child.
The heavy steel slab was descending from the stone ceiling fifty feet ahead, sparks flying as heavy pneumatic chains groaned under the load.
""Go!"" Luca roared, pushing Elena and the doctor ahead of him.
Dr. Aris slid underneath the descending door first, turning instantly to reach for the baby. Elena hesitated for a terrifying second, terrified to let go, but the gap was shrinking to two feet.
""Give him to me!"" the doctor yelled.
Elena shoved the wrapped infant through the opening just as the metal reached knee-height. She threw herself onto the cold concrete, scrambling belly-down through the shrinking gap, the jagged steel edge grazing the back of her spine.
She rolled onto the other side, gasping for air. ""Luca!""
Luca dropped flat, sliding through the remaining eighteen inches. His tactical vest caught on the jagged tooth of the lowering door. The massive slab groaned, descending with thousands of pounds of crushing hydraulic force directly onto his chest.
""Luca!"" Elena screamed, reaching forward instinctively, grabbing his leather harness with both hands.
With a roar of raw exertion, Luca wrenched himself forward, the ballistic fabric tearing away as he cleared the threshold just a split second before the heavy steel door slammed down with the concussive finality of a guillotine.
The slam echoed down the tunnel like a canon.
Elena collapsed onto her back, her chest heaving, the darkness pressing close around them. Only the weak beam of the doctor’s flashlight pierced the gloom.
Luca lay beside her, breathing hard, his hand clutching his bleeding arm. For a long moment, the only sounds were their ragged breaths and the soft coos of the infant wrapped safely in Dr. Aris's arms.
""Why did you pull me?"" Luca rasped in the darkness, his voice raw. ""You could have let the door crush me. You would have been free of the Morettis.""
""I saw your eyes back there,"" Elena whispered, shivering in the damp cold. ""You didn't protect me because of a debt. You protected me because you loved my father.""
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Luca stayed silent for several heartbeats, looking away into the pitch-black corridor.
""Julian didn't die for a corporate bank account, Elena,"" Luca finally spoke, his tone chillingly flat. ""He died because he was my older brother.""
